Those Things About You
by Jazyrha
Summary: I don't know anymore. I don't know anything anymore. Tell me you do, Sakura. [Confusion is taking over a teacher's and student's mind] [RxR! KakaSaku. Chapter5: Answer up now!. First real KakaSaku story! COMPLETE!Yay!Complete!]
1. Confusion

_**Those things about you.**_

**Chapter one: ****Confusion.**

The rain poured down on him. Soaking his clothes, soaking his hair, soaking his body until it started trembling and shivering.

_What's happening to me?!_

Slowly, he forced his feet to move, the one for the other, again and again. Silver hair fell straight amongst his face. His clothes were ripped and it was clearly to see he was just back from a mission. His one vision was blurry, because the rain filled it with water, dripping over his cheeks, almost like he was crying.

His heart was. Screaming out in confusion, struggling for not breaking, it continued to beat.

_WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!_

He didn't know when it happened, even less how, but it happened.

_What happened?_

_I don't know._

"Sensei? You'll get sick like this" she said.

"Saku-chan?" he looked up, not even noticing she held an umbrella above his head.

"Don't call me like that, Kakashi-sensei!" she said, her face changing from innocently smiling, to semi-angry. "It makes me sound like I'm a kid or something!"

"You are" he grinned, patting her head.

"Argh!" she looked angry, as she placed the umbrella above her own head, so he got wet again. "That's what you get for calling me a child!"

He smirked a bit. "I'm so sorry, Saku…ra-chan"

"You said it again…" she muttered.

"Not true, I corrected myself at the end!" he said, smiling.

"Hm, yeah, I guess that's good enough" she took a step closer, protecting him from the rain.

_Wrong… This is wrong…__ right?..._

"Did you eat anything already, Kakashi-sensei? It looks like you just got back from a mission? You're not hurt, right?"

"No, yes and no" he smiled.

She laughed, realising she asked too many questions after each other. Well, not that many, but either way…

"Okay, then that's decided" she said.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That I'll bring you home and cook for you. I'm bored anyway" she said, looking at his wet face.

"You just want to see what's under the mask, don't you?" he grinned.

"Of course! I mean, how long do we know each other now?"

_An eternity._

"I don't know, quite long I think" he said.

"And I still haven't seen it… that's just cruel!" she said furious.

He looked at her eyes, blazing up with the familiar fire. She was so beautiful, he thought, but stopped that immediately.

_Wrong! This shouldn't be happening!_

"Some persons I know for a longer time then you, haven't seen it either" he grinned, "maybe that helps, Saku-chan?"

"YOU SAID IT AGAIN!" she said as she pushed him from under the umbrella, under the pouring sky.

_What's happening?_

Kakashi smiled at her, waving his hand: "ah, gomen, gomen. It's just that it sounds so –"

_I don't know. You made me forget everything about common sense. _

"So?" she repeated. "If you give a good answer, you can step back under the umbrella."

"Oh, in that case I'll say it sounds so cute" he winked, "just like you are."

"Hm… It's a lie, isn't it?" she grinned, "but okay, step back under my umbrella."

And he did.

_It's not a lie Saku-chan__. It's something else. I don't know what, but it's not a lie. It's something of those things happening, those thoughts in my head, those feelings you're making me feel. It's one those things I can't name, I can't understand, I can only feel. It's one of those things about you._

"We're here, Kakashi-sensei" Sakura-smiled.

Kakashi nodded, opening the door and letting Sakura in. As he closed the door behind him, he watched Sakura walking in, switching on the light. A sigh escaped her lungs, while she commented: "still messy"

She had been here many times, and almost saw it as her second home. She didn't really know how it happened, but in these passed years, they grew pretty close. Maybe a little to close. She just couldn't help it, but to feel so happy whenever he was near. He made her feel save, with one word, he made her heart beat faster… why? She didn't know. She didn't know a single thing anymore, but she didn't hate it. She learned that when you let Kakashi enter your life, not much things are for certain anymore. Only one thing would be clear: no matter what, as long as Kakashi was around, it would be alright.

A sneezing sound woke her from her daydreaming.

"Come on, go take a shower before you get sick" she tried to stimulate him to move his lazy feet.

"Hai, hai, I'm leaving already" he grinned as he took of his shoes and walked to the shower.

She leaned forward, and searched in his fridge for anything she could use to make some dinner for him. Of course, she got used to it, all there was, was food of a questionable expired date and nothing she could really use.

"Okay, then he has to eat eggs…" she sighed. "Or maybe…"

She stood up, slamming his fridge closed. As she walked towards his bathroom, she leaned against the door.

"Oi! Kakashi-Sensei!"

"Nani?" she heard him calling, almost inaudibly through the sound of water falling against the ground.

"You'll be taking me out for dinner and tomorrow we go shopping so you have something eatable in your fridge!"

"But it rains outside!" he protested.

She sighed. He did get a point there.

"And beside" the water stopped and she could hear him quiet clear now. "I've got candy, cookies and chocolate! A lot of them…"

She laughed. "So you plan on eating cookies all night long?"

"You like cookies too, right?" it was silent for a while, "then eat with me."

The door opened and she turned her head unconsciously to see if the mask was still on. He wore nothing more than his boxers –and his mask of course...-

"Sensei… Put some clothes on" she commented.

She could count several scars over his body. It was no wonder, she could not even imagine how many people he must've killed, how much fights he must've undergone. But he never complained, he never said the slightest things about the pain she was so sure he felt. He only smiled, continuing his lazy life.

"Oi, don't stare at me like that, I might get wrong thoughts" he grinned at her as he pat on her head.

"Don't do that!" she shouted. "I'm not that little girl you used to teach anymore!"

_I know, Sakura-chan. I know so good it hurts._

"You still behave like her" he said.

"I don't! And beside, I was only looking at your scars because they are terribly tended" she remarked.

"Oh, that" he sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"Ah… Sorry" she said, watching his face saddening.

"Iie, it's nothing" he grinned.

He lifted up his hand and ran trough her pink hair, slowly caressing her cheek.

"As long as you make sure there won't be a single scratch on your face, it's alright for me" he whispered.

_Why am I whispering?_

Without knowing why, Sakura stepped, like she was being pulled closer to his body by some incredible attraction, closer to the silver haired jounin. Staring in his one visible eye, she felt his hand burning on her cheek, his fingers caressing her pale skin.

_Wrong… So wrong that this feels right…_

The world seemed to stop turning, not a sound resounded. Everything else vanished, the only thing there was, was them, standing so close to each other. So close, yet so far. Just like always, just like they'll always be. She was nothing more than a dream, so close when you fell asleep, when you dreamed, and unreachable when you woke up again.

_What's happening__...? What… Did I just do…?_

"Kakashi" she whispered. "W-What are you doing?"

_I don't know… at all… anymore…_

"The cookies are in that cupboard" he pointed suddenly, turning around, only acting normal.

"O-Okay" she answered, not knowing whether she should hate herself for breaking the moment or reward herself because she did.

"I'm going to get dressed" he said, walking –maybe a little faster than normal- to his room. Almost slamming the door behind him, he sighed, leaning against the door, sliding to the ground.

_What am I doing? What am I thinking? _

He closed his eyes, fighting some kind of feeling deep inside.

_I don't know at all. I don't know anything. _

It sounded so sweet; it crossed his mind, her voice, calling his name. Her eyes, captured in his gaze, her lips, only an inch from his.

He sighed. What on earth was he doing? He quickly stood up, almost commanding himself to stop thinking about Sakura like this. She was Sakura, Sakura Haruno! He never thought of her in this way.

_What way?_

And he didn't get why he started doing it now. Changing clothes, he thought about anything as long as it wasn't her. He looked at the pouring rain, but immediately his mind wandered off. Sakura stood there, in the pouring rain. Why? He didn't know. A faint, almost cynic smile crossed his face. There wasn't much he still knew. There only was that… feeling… or maybe even that was a wrong word. He didn't know. He just didn't know.

"Sensei? You didn't fall asleep didn't you?" Sakura shouted.

"Coming!" he shouted back, turning around and opening the door.

"Great" she grinned, taking the cookies out the cupboard.

Kakashi walked to the box of cookies and picked one out.

"Come" he said, turning around as he ate the cookie, so Sakura couldn't see his face.

He walked to the couch, and he heard her following. Sitting down he looked at her and smiled.

She smiled back and sat next to him, grabbing on of the cookies.

"So, why were you walking in the rain anyway?" Kakashi asked, while hiding his face as he ate.

"I, uh" a blush coloured her face. "Just, coincidence I guess."

_Confusion. Pure confusion in her eyes. Don't you know either, Sakura-chan? Are you just as lost__ as I am? Or am I just imagining things? I don't know, Saku-chan, do you?_

"Sure" he said, clearly not believing her, eating another cookie. "It's only normal for girls to walk about midnight in the pouring rain."

"Okay, okay" she gave up. "I was… waiting…"

He raised an eyebrow.

_Waiting for what, Saku-chan? An answer? You won't find it. I'm not finding it… Waiting for what, Saku-chan?_

"Not for what…" she looked away, "for someone…"

"Who?" he simply asked.

An answer kept out. Looking away, she quickly stood up, asking: "do you have anything to drink?"

"I've got some Sake…" he said, "and maybe there's some milk left too."

He decided not to ask any further about it, because –obviously- she didn't want to talk about it. Perhaps she didn't know either.

"What are you gonna drink?" she asked, taking two glasses.

"Make a guess" he grinned.

"That will be Sake" she grinned back.

He nodded.

"Great, for me too" she said as she poured the Sake in the glasses.

"Oi, aren't you to young to drink that, Saku-chan?" he grinned, knowing very well she was old enough.

_Old enough for what? To drink sake… I still know that… _

"You bastard!" she said as she took the first things she could grab, smashing it toward his head, laughing.

He easily dodged, laughing.

_Why? _

She walked towards him, giving him a glass.

_I don't know._

Drinking, in a way she couldn't see his face, he listened to her talking about what happened these passed days. Stories about Ino, Naruto, Shikamaru, and almost every other single leaving being in Konoha were told as he sat down and listened, drinking. He didn't know why, but he liked listening to her voice. Maybe because she sounded so different from what he usually heard. She wasn't anything like the screams he heard at the battlefield, nothing like the last words of dying people, nothing like the crashing sounds of realising you're alone again. She was like Sakura, full of life, smiling, laughing and full of smart remarks. She was like nothing he could describe. Even when the stories didn't interest him at all, if Sakura was telling them, he would listen. Just because it was Sakura who was telling it.

_Why? What's so different about her? Why?_

As Sakura filled her glass of Sake again, she tried to see his face. He just listened to her telling the most boring stories ever, drinking and hiding his face. His one eyes looked off, like he was dreaming of something.

"Now!" she shouted to herself, jumping on Kakashi, taking his hand moving it from his face.

It was a second, only a second she saw what he was like under the mask, but then he shove it up again with his one free hand, while he fell of the couch. They fell on the ground, unconsciously their hands strangled in each other. With his back on the cold floor and the weight of Sakura above him, her pink locks falling around her face like the frame of a photo, he wasn't sure how to act.

Sakura's face was only a few inches separated from his. He couldn't help it, but his one eye went down to see her lips. She held her mouth a little open; he could see her white teeth. As he turned away, afraid to be captured in her emerald gaze, he saw another thing, catching his breath.

Her little, delicate hand lay upon his, their fingers strangled in each other. He saw how he, without knowing himself why, tightened his grip on her hand. So beautiful, in al it's simplicity a picture that burned in his memories. Breathless, somehow completely silent, he watched her holding his hand, like she never wanted to let him go.

_When did this happen to us, Saku-chan? When did we become like this? What is happening? What are we becoming? Do you know?_

"K-Kakashi…sensei…" she whispered, like the words were drowning from her mouth, but she didn't want to say it.

He slowly turned his head back to her.

"I…I'm" she said, staring at the mask, his lips hidden under it.

_You're… What are you, Sakura-chan? I don't know._

"I only wanted to see your face" she said, but he wasn't sure whether it was an apology, or something she told herself as to explain how this happened.

"Don't mind" he said, having the hardest time to sound like he always did.

"O-Okay" she said, getting of him.

She looked at the window.

"It stopped raining" she remarked.

He only nodded, feeling like there was nothing he could say anymore. A strange feeling seemed to suck all the words away from him, leaving him speechless. It hung in the room too, an air of… what?

"I think I should go now…" she said.

Without waiting for an answer, she stood up, hiding her eyes under her hair, walking to the place she left her umbrella.

"Don't forget, we'll be shopping tomorrow" she said, but she didn't even look at him.

"Bye, Kakashi-sensei."

After those words she closed the door behind her and he could hear her footsteps. She wasn't walking, she ran.

"Bye, Saku-chan…" he talked to the closed door.

_What happened?_

He slowly walked to bed, falling on the mattress. He was too tired to change his clothes, so he just closed his eyes.

_What happened just now?_

The picture of Sakura's hand, so delicate and fine, in his, holding on to each other with an unknown call of… -of what? - float before his eyes again. As he slowly sank away in a pleasing darkness, the usual answer came to mind.

_I don't know… _

_At all._

_Anymore._


	2. Unknown Reasons

_**Those things about you.**_

**Chapter two: ****Unknown reasons**

He woke up from the sound of a knocking fist on his door. Slowly opening one eye and finding himself laying half off his bed, he tried to remember what happened yesterday to make him feel like this.

_Sakura._

_Hands interwined in each other._

_Confusion._

_Unknown feelings._

"Come on, Sensei! Wake up, wake up!"

_That's right, I promised Saku-chan __to go shopping with her._

Yawning and stretching his painful body, he shouted back to her: "Give me a second!"

_Why?..._

He didn't need to get dressed, since he never took off his clothes in the first place. Looking at the clock on his wall, he saw it was already passed noon. He sure slept long today… He sighed and walked to the door, opening it. There was no one there. Only the people walking in the streets, not aware of the just opened door.

_I don't know._

Stepping outside, he looked for a sign of Sakura.

"Gotcha!" she shouted, stepping from behind the door, jumping towards him, her hands ready to pull his mask of. Just in time he turned around, causing Sakura to literally jumping in his arms.

He felt her warm body against his and forgot to breathe.

_Why? What are you doing Saku-chan…?_

"Ah, I-I-I-I'm sorry" she stuttered, her face just as pink as her hair.

_Do you know? Because…_

"Don't mind" he said, after he found his breath and usual heartbeat again.

_I don't. I forgot somewhere along the way we're walking on._

"Okay then" she said, stepping away from him, her green eyes directed at the ground. "Let's go shopping then!"

"Hai, Saku-chan" he grinned.

"I told you before… DON'T CALL ME LIKE THAT!" she clenched her fist.

"I'll call you like that until it doesn't sound so funny anymore" he smirked.

"Well… Then I'll make a nickname for you too!" she said. "Something like… Kaka-kun!"

"Kaka-kun" he said, nodding and giving her a sarcastic look.

For a moment they looked at each other with a look between amused and embarrassed. And then, on exact the same moment, they started laughing out loud. Sakura's slim shoulders shook up and down from laughing.

"Okay, okay, maybe not" she laughed.

When she finally caught her breath back, she looked at the silver haired man.

"It's all your fault you know" she said.

_Why?..._

"It probably is" he answered.

_I don't know._

"No, really. If you had another name, I could make a better nickname" she said, laughing again.

"Well, my name's not my fault. Blame my parents" he grinned back.

A weird look came upon her face.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just…" she looked at the blue sky, "it's the first time you actually said something about your parents."

"Actually… I only mentioned them, I didn't say anything about them" he replied.

_She's right… I never even mentioned my parents to anyone… And now, I'm actually laughing about it._

"That's the same thing, Kakashi-sensei" she laughed.

"It's not" he answered back.

"There's nothing bad about talking about your parents or something" she said, because it almost felt like he was trying to act like he didn't care.

"It is if…" he kept silent.

"If?" she repeated.

"Nothing" he said.

They kept silent for a moment and Kakashi wondered why the supermarket never seemed so far away as now.

"Sensei…"

He looked at her, not giving a reply.

"What were your parents like?"

He looked away again, desperately trying not to remember that day. All his life he tried to block it out, to forget about his past and to just life in the here and now. Because after all, that was everything he still got. The past was done and could not be undone, and the future was to far away to reach. So all he could change, could live, was today.

"They were like my parents" he answered, just to give her a reply, without saying much.

"That's not an answer!" she protested.

"It's my answer" he replied back.

Looking at his face, Sakura almost felt sorry for asking. It was just… she knew him so long, but she didn't know anything about him. All she knew was his name, that he had a Sharingan eye and that he was a great ninja and even a better person. But somehow, even that less was enough. And it was not like she'd get any more information about him, even if she'd ask.

"Oh, look, the supermarket" he said, pointing at the large building.

"Yeah… I can see that" she muttered.

"You looked like you were spacing off" he explained.

"I wasn't!" she protested immediately, wondering why.

"My, my, you don't have to get all defensive now" he smiled at her. "Thinking of someone?"

"Thinking as in…" she didn't end her sentence, just glaring, "Of course not!"

"So… you're not in love anymore" he grinned.

"Why would you like to know?" she smiled back.

"Because…." He raised an eyebrow.

_Why…?_

"Because?" she repeated.

_I don't know…_

"Just because" he answered.

"That's not an answer" she sighed.

"It's my answer" he answered back.

"We had this conversation before" Sakura started laughing.

"You're imagining things" Kakashi smiled back.

Now inside the building, Sakura looked up at Kakashi, while saying: "Okay, what can you cook?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" he asked.

"It's my question" she replied, as a parody on what he was just saying.

A grin crossed his face.

"Uhm, well… Not much, I'm afraid" he answered.

"Okay… Then I'll teach you some recipes" she said.

"We could bake cake?" he suggested. "I guess that's easy…"

"Awesome!" she recalled enthusiast. "Then we need flower, eggs, milk,…"

"Wow, you know that by heart?" he asked.

"Well, not really how much from each…"

"Oh, look, Sakura! Cherries!" he said, pointing at the red fruits.

"We don't need them."

"But they're so delicious! I love cherries" he winked at his pink haired student, "but I love the blossoms even more."

A smile crossed her face. For a moment she wanted to tell him to stop acting like a little child, or like an old pervert for saying those things, but the smile on her face made her stop. Because, if she was honest, she didn't really wanted him to stop. Her sensei never looked so happy as he did those passed days. And if there's anything she could wish for, it'd be that he could always be this happy. Especially if she was even a little, just a little, a part of the reason why he was so happy. She wouldn't dare or want to ask for anything more then that.

"Just shut up and go get them if you want them. I'll search for the other ingredients then."

"Hai, hai, Saku-chan!" he smiled and chased off to get them.

* * *

Packed with bags full of vegetables and ingredients, Sakura and Kakashi walked home later, cautious to not slip over the frozen stones. The icy wind bit in their face and even when the sun shined down, it was still cold. Little, white snow flakes whirled down from the clear sky. Konoha continued to rest under his white blanket. 

"Oi, sensei" a pink haired girl whispered.

"Nani?" a grey haired jounin answered.

"Let's play a game!" Sakura smiled.

"Aren't you to old for games?" he said, looking at her pink hair.

"You're never too old for games" she said back like he said something really stupid. "And it's a fun game!"

"Okay, then explain the rules" he said.

"Well, it's easy. You just pick to people and then we guess whether they're a couple or not" she said.

"And how do you know who's right?" he said.

"You don't" the answer came.

"That's pretty silly" he replied, "a game without a plot."

"But it's funny" she smiled.

"Okay…" he said.

"I start!" she said, searching for people in walking in the street.

"You see them over there?" Sakura asked.

Following the direction of her eyes, Kakashi looked at two unfamiliar people.

"The blonde girl and the raven haired boy?" he asked.

"Yup! I think they're lovers" she said, "what do you think?"

"I don't know. How do you see something like that anyway?"

"Well, in the way they hold hands" she explained.

"Huh?" he said, having no clue at all.

"You see, friends hold hands like these" -and she grabbed his hand and smiled-, "but lovers" -she spread his fingers and slid hers between. Holding a little tighter her smile widened a little more and there was some kind of spark in her green eyes he never saw before- "hold hands like this."

"So… friends never hold hands like these" he said, his eyes gazing at their fingers, interlaced in each other.

"Nope, they don't" her answered came.

"But, Saku-chan…" he said, looking in her eyes again. "We're holding hands like this."

"THAT WAS ONLY BECAUSE I WAS EXPLAINING TO YOU!" she shouted, tugging her hand back.

Faster then he could comprehend, the spark disappeared and her smile changed in something between completely embarrassed and furious. Her face coloured with a deep pink blush and she looked away.

_Did I say something wrong…?__ Why are you embarrassed, Saku-chan?_

"Me and you in that kind of relation is just a sick, sick, disgusting idea!" she said, but there was something in her voice that sounded… how? He didn't know.

"Yeah, I guess" he sighed, not believing he was having this kind of conversation.

"I mean, how many years are we apart?" she said, almost like she was defending herself, "at least ten or something!"

"Hm" he answered, hoping this conversation would end really soon.

"Just disgusting."

"Hm"

"Sick."

"Hm"

"Perverted."

"Hm."

"Wrong."

"Hm."

"OH GOD!!! I DON'T WANNA THINK ABOUT IT!!!" she said, turning away so fast, she slipped over the frozen stones.

As a reflex, Kakashi dropped his bags and caught Sakura before she hit the ground. But it seemed gravity was stronger and he slipped as well, falling on the frozen ground, the pink girl falling on him as well.

His elbow hit the ground painfully and he bumped his head on the sidewalk. For a second they lay there silently, as if they were thinking what just happened.

_So close…_

And in the cold of the freezing in the winter, all he could think about was how close she was to him, how warm her beautiful body felt against his.

_I w__onder what it feels like… laying like this forever…._

But then, confusion took over again.

_Where did that__ thought came from…?_

"Are you planning on lying like this for an eternity?" he asked silent, not knowing why.

_I… Don't know…_

"U-Uh! Gomen! I-I just slipped and…" she looked at him, standing up again and offering him a hand.

He reached out and she pulled him back on his feet again.

_Hey Sakura…_

"I hope our stuff didn't get to dirty" she said, as she kneeled and started to gather the stuff again in the bags. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Hehe, this sure is happening a lot to us."

_Do you…?_

Smiling back, he got up as well. Sakura smiled once again and jumped forward, not slipping over the stones this time. Grabbing his hand she stepped over the streets to his house.

Without really knowing why, his eyes went down to their hands. Her slim, blank hand laid in his. Just like that, 'like friends hold hands'. Her fingers felt cold, even through the gloves he was wearing.

"Sensei! You're bleeding!" Sakura suddenly shouted.

He immediately looked up and followed her green eyes staring.

"Ah, that?" he asked, "That's nothing. Probably happened when we fell on the ground."

"You sure it doesn't hurt?" she asked.

"As a Medical Ninja, you should know it's nothing…" he sighed.

"Iie, it's not that. It's just that…" lowering her voice until it was nothing more then a whisper she said, "I don't like you to get hurt, even when it's not serious."

"Don't mind it, in a few days we won't even remember" he said, as in a pathetic attempt to… set her at ease?

"Oh, we're here" she said.

"Hm" he answered, searching his keys, opening the door and pushing it open.

With her bags full Sakura jumped inside, like a child who finally was where she wanted to be.

_Wanted to be?_

Kicking out her shoes, taking her coat of a little clumsy because she could only use one hand and pushing another door open with her legs, she walked inside, leaving a confused and cold sensei behind her.

With a much calmer way of moving, Kakashi closed the door behind him.

_What's wrong with me these days? _

Taking off his shoes and placing his jacket on the right place he heard Sakura taking out all the stuff they bought.

"Oi! Sensei! Hurry up a little, would ya!" she yelled, when Kakashi stared blankly at the wall, like that was supposed to tell him what was going on.

"Don't rush me like that!" he said back, walking to Sakura.

"Okay! Let's make cake first" she smiled.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"It's already late" he stated.

"Hm, yeah, we spend a lot of time at the shops" she grinned. "Maybe I did talk a little much…"

"If you just weren't such a chatterbox" he said.

"It wasn't my fault!" she protested. "It's just that I like to talk to people."

"Okay, but talking with Ino-chan for about… how long? Two hours, that's just long!"

"Not that long…" she smiled.

"Not for you" he said back.

"You're just an asocial person, Kakashi-sensei" she grinned. "Just admit it!"

"Oi, oi, don't say that"

"Well, enough about that. Our cake first!" she smiled.

"Hai!" he said back.

"Okay, we need a large cooking-pot" she said, "to put everything in."

"Hm" he said, kneeling and searching for something. "Good enough?"

Sakura checked the pot in his hands out.

"It will do" she confirmed, putting it on the table.

"And now flower" she said.

As he passed her the flower a big smile crossed her face.

"Nani?"

"It just came to mind that I'm your sensei, now, sensei" she laughed.

"Ah, that's true, Sakura-sensei" he said.

"Woah! That sounds weird!" she laughed, trying to open the flower.

"Wait, let me" he said, tugging the packet of flower open with a fast move open.

Immediately the flower flew all over the kitchen, colouring everything white and causing Sakura and Kakashi to cough.

"You're so smart… Kakashi-KUN" Sakura said, between the coughs.

He only smiled, not finding a good answer on that. As he swept some of the white powder off his face, Sakura's smile widened a little.

"Ah well, you're the one who cleans up after this, so I don't care" she smiled playfully.

"Heh?! When has that been decided!" he said, smiling back for some odd reason.

"The moment you spilled the entire flower over the kitchen" she said, her smile widening even further.

"That's not fair…" he protested.

"Like there's anything you can do about it" she grinned back, turning around and putting what was left off the flower in the pot.

"And now?" Kakashi asked.

"We add five eggs" she said.

He searched for some eggs and took a step to her, so he stood behind her. Leaning over her shoulders he broke tree eggs as Sakura did the other two. He could feel her slim shoulders against his chest, her back slightly pressed against his stomach. A warm feeling that cut of his breath and made him feel some weird kind of nervous seemed to take over him.

_What's happening?_

"Don't stare at me like that" she remarked annoyed.

"Gomen, it's just that it just came to mind that you're still small, Saku-sensei" he said.

"That's no way to talk to your sensei!" she teased, laughing.

"Ah, true enough" he answered.

_I really don't know. _

"Hm, now we add the milk" she said and she leaned forward to take the milk.

With that gesture he could feel her bottom touching his body and again the feeling came up. He didn't understand, he couldn't tell. He didn't even know whether he liked it or hated it. All he knew, or thought he knew was that it was there. Every time they touched, every time she smiled, every time she talked, it was there.

Unaware of her sensei's trouble to name a feeling he never felt before, Sakura worked on her cake. In all silence Kakashi passed her the things she needed, more and more feeling her little body against his. It was so innocent, so insignificant, but he felt it. Like every fibre of his body screamed for more, for closer, for Sakura.

_For Sakura?_

Maybe it was because of Sakura. Maybe it was all her fault. Maybe it was because she grew in such a spectacular way, in just a changing way he felt like this. Almost as to confirm it was because of her he reached out and inconspicuous touched her shoulder. Immediately the feeling came up again, screaming, burning.

_It's definitely because of Saku-chan. _

"Our cake is ready! Well… we still need to bake it of course" she smiled.

_If I only knew __what__ is because of Saku-chan… If I only knew how or why, or when, or just something!_

Putting the cake in the oven, still unaware of her confused sensei, Sakura said: "I think it's going to be the best cake ever!"

"Probably" he said.

"Hey, Kakashi-kun, do you have a radio?" she suddenly asked.

"Hm, yeah, why?" he said, as he went to search for a thing he never used.

"Because I'll teach you one last lesson today" she grinned.

"And that might be?" he asked, as he found his radio and put it on the table.

"How to dance, my dear Kakashi-kun" she smiled, turning the radio on.

_That sounded nice… _

A smile crossed his face as he tried to protest: "you sure that's a good idea?"

Music filled the room as Kakashi switched on the radio and looked back to Sakura.

"Sure!" she said, "Oh, that's such a beautiful song!"

"It's a slow song…" he stated.

"I know" she just said.

"Which means… it's a slow dance too" he said, not sure or he felt good by that thought.

"Of course" she smiled, "You don't have problems with that, don't you?"

_I'll never have a problem with you… _

"I think I can live with that" he said.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll help you survive" she smiled. "Now, before the song is over, let's dance."

She stepped to him, wrapping her arms his neck. Feeling some kind of awkward and helpless he just stood there, not really knowing what to do and whether he was allowed to do it or not.

_**What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time**_

"Put your arms around my waist" she said softly.

He mindlessly obeyed, feeling like the world ended and only they existed. He never ever stood so close to her as now. He never felt her body so close to his as now. He never felt as good as he did now. He never wanted a moment to last longer as he did now.

'_**Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people**_

Words drained from his mind, the pain in the background he always felt, disappeared and the only thing he could think of was the beautiful girl, so close to him.

_Sakura._

"And now just don't think" she smiled as she started to take little steps.

_**And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you**_

His eyes lowered to her pink hair and without really thinking about it, his grip on her waist tightened, pulling her closer to his chest, closer to his heart. All the confusion faded away, all the questions float as the girl looked up and stared back.

_**All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words  
You've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here**_

He couldn't ask for anything more, he couldn't dreamed of anything more beautiful. For some reason he didn't understand this felt so right even what they're doing must've been wrong. He was sure a student and a teacher shouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't… feel like… this.

_**Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you**_

He wanted to forget about the world, about right and wrong, about truth and lies. He wanted to forget about everything except for Sakura. He wanted to remember this moment for ever, he wanted to live once again, like he used to do, before his father died and everything started to hurt. He wanted her to bring him back alive, he wanted her to answer his questions without a single word.

_**There's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out  
Everything she does is beautiful  
Everything she does is right**_

Looking at her beautiful face, he tried to remember every single detail. Her green eyes, that one pink lock that didn't hang right, that little piece of flower still there, her full, pink lips, her little noise, the way her face was so perfect, he wanted to remember it all. He wanted to imprint everything so that is there was a time when he felt alone again, all he had to was closing his eyes and he would see her. See her like she was now, close to him. See her like he wanted her to remember. Because, and he didn't know why, but he never saw Sakura so happy. He never saw her so delicate, so vulnerable and yet so strong and happy. Almost like she was completely at peace. Almost like she found what she wanted.

_**Cause it's you and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you  
and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you**_

Still staring in her deep, green eyes, he found himself being happier then ever before by just the fact that she was looking back. Without pretending, without confusion, without ambiguity she just looked back, with the pure, wonderful innocence only she could have in her eyes. He didn't know what exactly she saw in his eyes, because he forgot when people actually saw what he felt and when he just hid it like he hid everything. He forgot how to tell someone how he felt, how eyes could tell so much without saying. But he swore himself he'll never forget that look in her eyes.

_**What day is it?  
And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive**_

The last notes of the song lingered in the room and they still stood there, like they stood before. Sakura's grip tightened a little more, softly and unconsciously pulling his face closer to hers. Without knowing what was happening, he followed her movement. She stood on her toes and suddenly he realised their lips were only a few inches separated from each other and her hand was reaching for his mask.

_What is she trying to do...?_

Her hand softly touched his cheek and with one hand she pulled him a little closer.

_I think she's… she's…_

Catching his attention with her green eyes, her fingers grabbed the mask.

_So that's how it is… she just wants to see my face… I really though that… She…_

He brought his hand to her, keeping her from pulling it off.

"Don't" he whispered, without really knowing why he was whispering.

Maybe he was afraid that a loud word would break the atmosphere. Maybe he was afraid that a single word could break the magic around them. Maybe he was afraid that a spoken word would bring him back to the real world, making him hide again. Or maybe he just couldn't speak loud because her eyes drained all his power.

"Kakashi... can I hug you?" she suddenly asked, leaving her hand the way it was.

Almost shocked by her sudden change and her unexpected words, he just stared at her. He already regretted speaking because now she looked sad, so terrible sad. It was almost like he hurt her beyond the possible by just saying something.

"Can I?" she asked again, a single tear in her eye.

He didn't answer, but just embraced her softly. With a quick move she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest. Pushing her body so close to his he thought she wanted to disappear inside him, Kakashi didn't really know what to do or what to say.

"Are you okay?" was the best he came up with.

An answer didn't came, only a soft shocking of her shoulders and a sound between laughing and crying.

"I-I'm sorry" she said, looking up, but still hugging tightly. "It's just that I'm…"

He didn't know what it was, but the moment she looked up and he saw tears in her eyes he felt something breaking inside. It was like the most painful and sudden thing he ever felt. His hand reached for her hair and he caressed her pink locks.

"I'm just so happy" she smiled, "I'm so happy that we can be together like this."

_Together as in…?_

He was too scared to ask her what exactly she meant, too scared his words would make her really cry. Instead of asking anything, he just hugged her even more tightly. He just pulled her a little closer, but he could see she smiled a little more.

"I'm so tired…" she sighed, "Geez, I don't know why I started crying. I just… I just…"

_She doesn't know either. You lost it too, didn't you, Saku-chan? You're just as confused as me, aren't you? _

"I don't know" she smiled and whipped away her tears, "It was just…"

_And I guess I'm sorry. I'm sorry for doing this to you. If I'm the blame, that is._

"If you're tired you should sleep" he smiled.

"I know. It's just…" she sighed. "I think I like to be with you more then sleeping."

A blush coloured her face and she looked down. Following her movement he suddenly noticed they were still standing as close to each other as possible.

"I-I think the cake is ready" he said, not knowing what he had to do with all the weird things happening tonight. "You go sit down, I'll cut a piece for you."

"Hai" she smiled as she walked to the couch and sat down.

She watched Kakashi walking to the kitchen and felt like hitting herself. Why did she had to start crying like a stupid kid?

_If I keep acting like that, he won't ever see me as a grown up ninja! If I keep crying and running away, if I keep being like this he'll never like me. But… _

A faint smile crossed her face.

_I'm really happy. Because today I was able to get a little closer. He probably thinks it's wrong and I'm not sure whether I share that thought or not, but I'm really happy to be close to him._

She yawned and stretched her body.

_I think I should tell him soon. I think I should just take my change and tell him… Demo… I don't want to lose what we have now. I don't want to force him into things he probably doesn't even understand. Maybe he'll just hate me when I tell him what I feel._

"Saku-chan?" Kakashi held a little plate with a piece of cake for her nose. "Here's your cake."

"Arigatou, sensei" she smiled.

"I'm not your sensei anymore" he said and she could've sworn she heard regret in his voice. "So I guess just Kakashi is enough."

"Hm, I think I like to call you sensei" she said, looking at him as he sat down next to her. "You know why?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me" he answered.

"Hai, I am" she smiled, taking a bite of her cake "It's because it connects us."

"Connects us?" he replied, not sure what she meant with that.

"Uhu. It connects us. Like a daughter is connected with her father, a sister with her brother, I'm connected to my sensei" she smiled. "And I really like being connected with you."

"Hm, if you look at it like that" he answered, finding himself thinking her theory was somehow amusing.

"Don't you think we're connected?" after a short silence she said, "Or don't you want to be connected with me?"

"I think we're connected" he said.

_But I don't know in which way. I don't know in what kind of bond we live. I don't know, Saku-chan, I just don't know._

"In which way?" she smiled, placing her now empty plate on the ground.

He shook his shoulders, avoiding a real answer, because he couldn't lie to her. He couldn't tell her in which way, but he thought of how wrong she could get it if he'd say: 'I don't know'.

"Eeeeh… That's not an answer" she protested.

"It's my answer" he answered.

She stuck out her tongue.

"I **hate **it when you say that" she grinned.

"Awh, don't say that" he said back, happy with the change of subject.

"Why not?" she asked, moving a little closer.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course!"

"Why?"

"Because it does."

"I don't think it does."

"You shouldn't say it then."

"I did say it."

"But you shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because… ARGH!! YOU'RE ANNOYING!" she screamed laughing, poking him in his ribs.

He smiled back.

"I know."

They kept silent for a while and Sakura yawned again.

"It really was the best cake ever, wasn't it?" Kakashi said, hoping that'd break the silence.

"Yeah, it sure was" she smiled.

After a silence again, Sakura said: "Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"You're really a great student" she smiled.

He smiled at her, happy just by that fact she was happy again.

"You were a great student too" he said.

"Serious?" she looked up and flashed him one of her biggest smiles.

"I'm always serious" he answered.

"Now you mention it" she smiled.

Another yawn escaped her lungs.

"I'm so damn tired" she said, laying her head careful on his shoulders.

"Then sleep" he said.

"I can't, I'll have to go home first" she answered.

"Then go home."

"Can't I stay a little longer?"

"That's okay for me, but… if you're tired you s-"

"Okay, that's settled" she smiled. "I'll stay a little longer."

"Okay then" he smiled.

She placed her head on his lap and looked up to him.

"Is it okay if I lay like this?"

"Hm, sure" he said.

"Okay" she smiled. "Great!"

She closed her eyes, yawning once more.

"Sensei…" she said.

"Hm?" he answered.

"Can you tell me a story?" she said.

"I'm afraid I don't know any stories" he said.

"Tell me something about you" she asked.

He sighed, looking at her face in his lap.

"I'm not that interesting" he answered.

"I think you are" she replied. "Have you ever been in love, sensei?"

"Eh…" he said not sure whether he wanted to answer that question or not, "what kind of question is that?"

"Just answer" she laughed.

"Hm" he answered, "what about you… and Sasuke-kun doesn't count."

"Ugh" she answered. "I wasn't even thinking of him…. And you still haven't answered my question."

"I did" he said.

She opened on eye and grinned: "like 'hm' would count."

"Well, it is an answer" he said.

"You're really annoying, do you know that?" she laughed, stretching her hand and poking in his cheek. "Why can't you just answer like normal people?"

"I'm normal" he said, grabbing her wrist to make her stop poking.

"I didn't say you're not" she laughed again, her chest shaking up and down, "you just don't answer like normal people."

"You didn't answer as well" he said.

"Because you didn't" she defended herself.

"If you answer I'll answer" he said.

"I asked first!" she protested, opening her both eyes, "so you have to answer first."

"…"

"Okay, okay. Yes, I've been in love and I am now" she said, as a blush coloured her cheeks and she closed her eyes.

_She looks cute like that… _

"And names…?" he asked, as uninterested as possible.

"You want names? Curious, Kakashi-sensei?" she laughed, careful opening one eye.

"Hm, not really. But I guess that's the point of asking, right? To know who, not just to answer with a single 'yes' or 'no'… right?"

"Okay, I'll give you names" she said, "but you have to promise you won't laugh."

"I won't laugh" he said.

"… Hoshi" she said.

"Who's Hoshi?" he answered, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura started laughing, her whole body shaking up and down. Her hands grabbed her stomach as she continued to laugh.

"I already thought you'd say that" she answered.

He smiled back, somehow just smiling at her happy behaviour. It was some kind of contagious, because every time she smiled, it was like he could do nothing else then just smiling back.

"So… Who is he?"

"Well, a boy" she started her story, "I met him on one of my missions."

"So that's what you do when I'm not there" he grinned, "just looking for boys…"

"Nah!" she said, softly hitting his head with her pale hand, "but well, anyways. It was on a simple mission, when I was still Chuunin. We had to escort him to a place, but I forgot which. It was a beautiful place, though. Hm, somewhere in a small country. But I forgot that as well."

Kakashi closed his eyes and laid his head back down as he continued listening to Sakura's calming voice, telling her story.

_I whish I could lay like this forever… Listen to her voice for ever…_

"So, anyway, while walking, he was constantly looking at me. Oh, gosh, he was so handsome. But, well, I smiled at him and asked something like: 'why are you looking at me like that?' "

_Eh… That's a strange thought._

"_Have you ever been in love, Sensei?"_

_I don't know. Tell me, what it's like to be in love?_

"And he answered: 'Nothing, it's just that I don't get too see angels very often.' And I was like: should I hit him or think that's completely cute? I did the last. So I smiled and answered something back and then we started a conversation. Hahah, really, sensei, you should've seen Naruto-kun's face! Hilarious! He was soooooo jealous!"

_Maybe it's that burning feeling I always feel when I'm with you. Maybe it's that part of you that always makes the world a little more beautiful. Maybe it's the way you smile and I want to smile back. Maybe it's that confusion that's taking over me. Maybe it's the reason why we become like this. Maybe that's the reason I want to be with you as much as possible._

"But well, that doesn't matter either. It was really funny tough. So, the more we talked to each other, I just realised that he was sooo cute and soo sweet, and I guess I just fell in love."

_Maybe… Just maybe… I love you. Just maybe I really love you._

"Ah, so how did it end then?" he said, opening his eyes.

_Impossible! I can't be… I'll never be… Not in love with Saku-chan. There's no way that can be right. There's no way I could ever feel something like that._

"I went back to Konoha" she said. "And he stayed, of course"

"Ah, poor you" he said, caressing over her forehead.

He never really knew why, but she always seemed to like it if people caressed her forehead. But on the other hand, she always seemed to like everything. She always smiled, she always was happy. Yes, she used to cry a lot, and on some points she could be really childish, but she always got through everything. She always ended up stronger and even wiser. She truly was like a cherry blossom, going trough wind and rain, but still beautiful.

"So, what about the love now?" he asked.

"I'm not going to tell you" she said, closing her eyes and stretching her body.

"Hm" he said, to tired to ask her more.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"When it's Spring, do you want to watch the cherry blossoms with me?" she asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I'd really like to go with you" she said, as she grabbed his hand and held it.

"Won't you be too busy in the hospital or on missions?" he asked, not even noticing she held his hand.

"I can make time for you" she smiled.

"Then I guess I can make time for you" he answered.

He didn't know why, but suddenly he noticed their hands entwined in each other. His one eye went to their hands, hers resting on her stomach, his in hers. Her fingers laid between his, like it was the most natural thing.

"_You see, friends hold hands __like these" -and she grabbed my hand and smiled-, "but lovers" -she spread my fingers and slid hers between. Holding a little tighter her smile widened a little more and there was some kind of spark in her green eyes I never saw before- "hold hands like this."_

Her words rang through his mind. For a moment he wanted to pull back, to rest his hand on the couch, were it laid before, but somehow her hand in his felt pretty good. So instead of pulling back, he tightened his grip a little more. A smile crossed his face and he looked back to Sakura.

"Saku-chan?" he said.

An answer didn't come.

_Ah, she's sleeping._

"Good night, Saku-chan" he said, pressing a kiss on her fore head.

He caressed through her pink hair and looked a last at their hands, so peacefully tangled in each other. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes, more aware of the little girl being so close then ever before.

_Love… huh?_

* * *

Yaay! Finally the next chapter! I'm sorry it took me so long, but it's a pretty long chapter too, ne? Okay, I'm really evil for doing all this to Kakashi, but don't worry he'll get a clue soon enough. Only three more chapters to go. In italic they were also memories, so not only his or Sakura's thoughts. Just so you know, in this chapter it's winter and in my necxt chapter it will be Spring, so they can go watch the cherry blossoms.

And who know what happens then?... XDD

Please review! big smile

Oh, and the song I used was: You and Me from Lifehouse.

It's a beautiful song, you should listen to it. XD

'till the next chapter!


	3. One Single Kiss

_**Those things about you.**_

**Chapter three: One Single Kiss**

He never felt that simplicity could be so beautiful. He never knew that a girl could change so much. He never knew that simply walking beside her, listening to her telling pointless stories could feel so right. He never thought he would enter a world of these unknown feelings.

But he started to understand know.

A little. Every smile a little more. Every day a little more. He wasn't sure whether he did really lover her or not, whether it was okay to love her or not, but the confusion was fading away, slowly but steady. He was stepping over some kind of border, he was crossing some kind of line. And he knew that one day he'd understand. He knew that when he did, it would've been the greatest thing in his life.

Because, whatever it was, it was because of Sakura, it had to do with the pink haired girl. And when it was about her, he never felt hurt, he never felt so deeply shattered as he used to feel.

To be honest, he started to feel again. He never realised but he _felt _something when he was so confused. He _felt_ which meant his heart was finally living again. Because something that's broken, shattered in thousand of pieces, can't feel, can't be hurt. It's impossible to break, what's already been broken. It's impossible to kill, what's already been killed.

He knew it was, because of that he continued to live like that. He knew he was just afraid of being hurt, like a little child, and for that reason kept running away. He knew he was deadly afraid of anything happening like him again like the moments Obito passed away or he found his father on the ice cold floor, blood everywhere. He knew he ran.

And he also knew it was something about Sakura that stopped him. He didn't know what right know, but he was sure he'd figure that out somehow. And in the mean time, he was just happy to be with her, to watch her smile, to feel her pink hair in his fingers. He started to know a lot of things again. From knowing nothing at all anymore, he came to a point where he actually knew more, or wanted to know more.

She made him alive again.

He knew that as well.

"Kakashi-kun?" Sakura asked, jumping before him and then turning around.

"Saku-chan?" he answered.

"Oh, nothing. You just looked like you were spacing off" she answered.

"Ah, well yeah, I was thinking about something" he answered.

"About?" she said, with a lot of interest.

_About you. I haven't done anything else these days._

"Nothing important" he answered.

"Then you shouldn't say it" she replied.

"But you asked it" he said, smiling a little.

"No, not really. I just mentioned you looked spaced off. But I didn't say 'hey, are you thinking about something?" or "why do you look like that" so I didn't ask it" she grinned.

"…When did you became so smart" he laughed.

"When you looked away" she answered, sticking out her tongue.

She suddenly pointed at a large, almost gigantic cherry tree and said: "that's a good place to sit and eat right?"

"Eh, sure" he answered.

"Finally, the basket started to weight heavy" she said.

He smiled at her childish behaviour. In some way it relaxed him to know that Sakura was still Sakura. Sometimes all the changed she made, they way she was so mature and smart, the way she worked for her own money, the way she did everything on her own, sometimes made it look like she wasn't Sakura at all. But somehow she still managed to slip in those childish jokes, her way of acting when she was only a little girl. She still could cry easily, but she taught herself to control herself more. But he'd never wanted her to change that. He never wanted her to stop crying that easily, to stop being furious about the little details.

It made him alive.

Watching her behave like that, it made him think, made him feel, made him alive. If she never dragged him into all kind of situations he never would've got in involved if he was still alone, he would've never learned to live in the way he did. If she never would've been so strong, he would've never dared to be so vulnerable.

If Sakura never was the girl she was now, he would've still been alone. He still would've been already dead. If Sakura wasn't Sakura, he would never be able to be Kakashi. Some part of him needed her, to keep him alive, to keep him vulnerable. He needed her to not lose it completely and drag himself through life, without living at all.

He didn't know why, but he knew he did.

She put the basket under the shadow of the cherry tree. She rested her back against the tree trunk, she shadow dancing like flames on her face every time the leafs of the cherry tree moved in the wind. Her pink hair danced as well. And he just watched her. His eyes lingered on her beautiful body. After one long look he sat down next to her.

"Are you going to hide your face again?" she asked.

"Why?"

"Because you always do when you eat" she smiled. "It's quite annoying."

He sighed.

"You want to see it that badly?" he answered. "It's not really special."

Surprised by his answer she looked up, smiling.

"It's special to me" she answered.

She didn't get what he was trying to achieve, since his answer all these years was always been simple: 'I won't show you'. And then, discussion closed. But now he was actually… thinking about it?

An even bigger smile crossed her face as he said: "well… if it's that special to you."

"You are really going to let me see?" she asked, because she could not fully comprehend his sudden change.

"If you want to" he grinned.

"Ne, Kakashi… can I ask a question?"

"Hm?" he answered.

"You won't do this for everyone, ne? I mean, if suddenly Naruto-kun asked you to take off the mask, you wouldn't do it right?" she asked.

"No, I guess not. I guess it's only okay if it's you" he smiled.

"Why me?" her green eyes looked at him.

"Because you'll never hide anything from me, right?" he answered. "So, I figured I shouldn't be hiding something from you. Because that wouldn't be fair, right?"

She laughed.

"That's a weird way of thinking, but yes, I think I can understand" she said.

"Okay… Close your eyes first" he laughed.

He was doing that a lot these days too. Laughing, it was such a simple thing and yet he never got himself to laugh like she could, straight of her heart and spontaneous. She was teaching him without knowing though, and he thought he was quite a good student.

She closed her eyes as her smile only continued to widen. This would be by far the most beautiful day in her life. Somehow his words made her really happy. He could turn and rephrase it as much as he wanted, but she got a message from his words. A message that said he trusted her, more then anyone else, more then anything else in this whole world. A message that told her he cared about her. That made her happy beyond words.

"Okay, you can open them" he said and she did.

Her eyes widened at the sight of her ex-sensei's full face. The scar of his Sharingan eye ended a few inches from where the border of the mask. Other than that, he had no scars at all. She always imagined some weird looking scar on his cheek as a reason to hide his face. But now she saw his face, she could not imagine why he would ever want to hide a face like that. He was by far the most handsome man she ever saw.

"Woah…" she finally said.

"Oi, don't do that" he said and he smiled, "it's awkward."

"H-Hai… Sorry" she said, still staring. "You're cute, Kakashi-kun"

She smiled after that.

Somehow it wasn't even awkward anymore. It somehow was even sweet if she said something like that. Something told him this should be an awkward situation, because she was once his student and he once her teacher, but it somehow sounded so spontaneous that he just couldn't find it wrong.

And it was not like she was saying that she loved him. It was not like she was crossing a line he didn't understand where he should draw it, but knew he should draw one. She wasn't stepping over a border from where he didn't really know what it was separating.

"Oh, just so you know, if someone passes by I'm shoving the mask up again" he grinned.

"So… I'm really the only one who's allowed to see your face?" she asked, her voice soft and her eyes directed at the wooden basket.

"If you want put it like that" he smiled, "then yes, you are the only one."

"I really want to put it like that" she answered.

He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he didn't want to ask further about it. He somehow created a really sweet, soft moment and he didn't want to break it. If a thing like that was possible, he wanted to sit here with Sakura for ever. Here, with Sakura, at the feet of a large cherry tree, the fresh spring air playing with their hair, the sun shining down on them. If it was possible, he wanted to sit here forever. With Sakura.

She opened the basket and gave him some things, which he put on the ground. When the basket was empty, Sakura closed it again and closed her eyes, her head resting on the tree trunk.

"You know" she said with a musing tone in her soft voice, "When I was little, I always stared at the cherry trees, and I always imagined myself sitting there with Sasuke. Then we'd laugh and eat and he'd tell me about his life, because he trusted me. I'd tell him about my worries and he would kiss me and take them all away. And then we'd be happy, for whole our lives."

He didn't answer, because something told him she didn't want an answer at all. But maybe he also didn't answer because in some way he didn't really liked what she was saying. Of course he was used to the fact she always pictured Sasuke as some kind of dream boy, but since she stopped with that since years ago, he didn't really liked her to talk about Sasuke that way.

But why he didn't want it, he didn't understand.

"But you know" she opened one eye and looked at him, "I think sitting here with you is a lot nicer. It's more beautiful than those childish fantasies. Because…"

Now it started to get a little awkward. He moved his feet a little, switching position.

"This is real, isn't it?" she smiled, looking at him. "You and me, that's real."

"I…I don't know" he answered and for some reason he felt more miserable then he ever did before.

The moment broke and the magic was gone. It was all ruined now.

A heart that's been healed only waits to break again. The answers people collect, are only waiting to be replaced by another burning question. Confusion never ends. Confusion only fades away for a little while, but it will strike back, harder then anything in this world. He swallowed, looking at the blossoms above him, just to not look at her.

"What do you mean?" she said, with a terrible hurt in her voice.

"I don't know" he answered again.

For some strange, strange, unthinkable reason he felt warm, salty tears filling up his eyes. The confusion he felt before came back and it was definitely more then he could handle.

"I just don't know anything anymore" he said, as a tear slid over his cheek, "I don't know what we are or what's real."

Sakura's eyes widened as she noticed how his cheeks glimmered.

_He's crying…_

She turned around, only to found him looking away from her.

_Because of me…_

"Kakashi…" she whispered.

_He's really crying. He's really crying because of the things I said._

He brought his hands to his cheek, desperately trying to stop his tears. It just hurt, for some indescribable reason, it hurt. It hurt more then anything he felt before. It somehow hurt more then the day he found his father dead on the floor, when he watched his best friend die slowly under rocks. It hurt in a completely other way, hurting more then all those years all alone.

Maybe it hurt so much, because he knew he was missing something. Maybe it hurt so much, because he knew it just wasn't right to cry. Maybe it hurt so much, because Sakura looked so hurt back. Maybe it hurt so much, because he used to know everything and now couldn't even give a decent answer.

Or just maybe it hurt, because he was afraid.

"Summimasen" he sobbed. "I… I just…"

His shoulders shocked up and down and the tears just didn't seem to stop. His lungs felt like they were burning inside his body and his head hurt like it never hurt before. Tears fell of his cheek, leaving darker spots on the ground.

"What are we Saku-chan?" he poured his confusion in a simple question. "What have we become, Saku-chan? Why did we end up this way?"

Sakura watched her beloved sensei cry, with every tear that left his eyes her heart breaking a little more. She breathed deep and shuffled a little closer.

"Kakashi…" she whispered again. "Please don't cry."

He looked up at her. The tears stopped a little more and Sakura shuffled a little closer. She wrapped an arm around him, looking in his one eye. He didn't really understand what was happening, but Sakura wrapped her other arm around him and pulled his head closer to her. She smiled to most sweet smile he could remember her smiling. Almost like she was close to an end she waited for so long. Almost like she was about to do something she wanted to do for long.

And then he felt it. Her lips on his. The world that stopped turning, the time that froze.

_K-Kiss?_

The kiss came only from one side. He was way too surprised and to stunned to even react. She pulled him closer, her hand running trough his hair.

_Why me…? Why is she kissing me__…?_

Still too surprised to react, he felt her body never so close. His mind was running, searching for an answer he didn't seem to find.

_Sakura…_

She slowly backed away from him, still smiling.

_Why?_

"You're asking the wrong questions, Kakashi" she started talking after a while. "I don't know about you, but you're the whole world to me. I have become a woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with you. I just fell in love with you. I love you, Kakashi. I really do."

_I don't get you… I don't understand._

His eye widened and he stared at the girl sitting in front of him.

_How? How could you feel that for me?_

"So, the only remaining question is: what am I to you?" she smiled one last time. "I hope you find an answer soon. But until that day I'll wait for you."

_You're Sakura… I think… I guess…_

After that she started to put everything back in her basket. She closed the basket and lifted it up.

"Goodbye, Kakashi" she smiled, as she turned around.

She walked away, leaving a never so confused ex-sensei behind.

_Why?_

He stared at the young woman, walking away from him. Like that pulled him back to reality he stood up, ready to chase after her. His hand automatically shove his mask up again, as he stared her leaving. His mouth opened, like he wanted to call her and tell her to stop.

"_I don't know about you, but you're the whole world to me. I have become a woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with you. I just fell in love with you. I love you, Kakashi. I really do."_

Suddenly, he turned around, running as fast as his almost paralyzed legs allowed him. He didn't really knew where he was going and the destination didn't really matter either. He just wanted to be away, far away from the cherry tree where it all happened.

"_I just fell in love with you."_

Why? Why did she have to do that? Why did she have to kiss him and make everything so complicated? Why did she have to do that? Why?! Why?!

"_I love you, Kakashi."_

He crossed over the streets, unaware of the weird stared he got. He just didn't care, he just couldn't care. The only thing he was able to care about right now was how he was ever going to talk to her again. He had to find an answer, and fast. His mind was running in top speed, so fast all his thoughts became a blurry mess.

"_So, the only rem__aining question is: what am I to you?_"

He smashed open a first door, running up the stairs. In his hurry he almost ran down a old woman. Just in time he could prevent that from happening. Without looking at her, he murmured some kind of excuse. As he reached his apartment door, he smashed it open as well, closing the door as soon as he could.

Tears filled up his eyes again. Now he finally stood still, it seemed her words shouted only harder and harder in his head, again and again. What just happened kept repeating in his head, over and over again. It was endless, just endless.

He fell through his knees, the back of his head still resting against the wooden door. His shoulders shocked up and down and his eyes stared off in space, even though the only thing he could see where her eyes, her face so close to his.

"_I love you, Kakashi."_

He banged his head against the door, as he was literally trying to slap the memory out of his head. Maybe if he just hurt his head enough, he would forget.

"_I just fell in love you."_

It didn't seem to work. He banged his head as hard as he could against the wooden door, damaging the door more then his head.

"Why…" he moaned, "why…?"

He closed his eyes and let himself fall forward on the ground. With his face against the cold floor, he sighed deeply.

_I just don't know…_

Sakura walked through the streets, the basket in her hands feeling heavier then it ever did before. She knew she had to tell him at some point, but she couldn't help herself of feeling a complete idiot for doing so. He obviously didn't love her back, not in that way at least.

And now she was waiting. Waiting for an answer she already knew for sure. She could still feel the burning silence in her heart, as if his unspoken words told her more he ever could. He didn't want her, she was sure, because if he did, he'd know.

Kakashi always knew everything. She still remembered their first mission. She still remembered how impressed she was as he told them he knew two water ninja's were following him, simply because there was a small puddle of water. She never even realised it, even when she almost stepped in it. But he knew… he knew they were being followed because of simple water.

He probably knew even more about the Sharingan then Sasuke did. He was most likely a lot smarter then Shikamaru. He always had an answer on everything, he could always explain her everything. Always, always… but not now.

Now he just watched. Stared at her, with that terrible look of confusion.

He cried about it. He cried about not knowing anything anymore. She was about to cry too. Crying because she knew she loved him. Crying because it was her fault he had to feel like this. Crying because he would never love her back and he would hate her and avoid her from now on. Kakashi was a kind person, so he would hurt her to death, because he'd think it was the best way.

Her hand slowly pushed open her door, as she stepped in her little house and closed the door behind her. A sigh escaped her lungs. She could've chosen a better time. She could've crawled back and made up a stupid story. She could've lied. She could've waited a little longer. She could've died a little more inside. She could've waited for more signs.

But she didn't. She just had to say it. She had to tell him she loved him. She had to ruin everything, everything they build.

Tears fell down her cheeks, while she dropped her basket on the ground. She couldn't care less about the things in there breaking now. She couldn't care about anything. Like a computerised robot she walked to her bedroom, not even seeing where she was heading. Tears fell faster and faster as she simply fell on her bed, her head hidden in her pillow.

_I shouldn't have told him. It would've been better if I just held my mouth. I don't want to lose him. Not because of this. I don't want to lose him, now we're just becoming close._

Screaming in her pillow, she whished she could just turn back time. Then she would go back to where they were sitting under the cherry tree, but this time she wouldn't start talking about what she used to think. Then she would just tell a random story, about Ino or something.

But she knew she couldn't. Whatever was going to happen, she had to get through it.

Crying wasn't going to help, but still she cried.

It must've been late in the night, around two o'clock, that he realised he was still lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He calmed down a bit, but her words hadn't stopped once the entire time. All the moments he had shared with her ran through his mind. He wasn't going to cry anymore, he told himself, because crying wasn't going to bring him an answer. It was only going to give him another question.

Why did I cry? Is it worth crying about? Why do I cry, about something like that?

He didn't cry when he found his father dead. He only cried once about Obito. He only cried about five times in his entire life, if he didn't count the passed three times with it.

But somehow, whenever he thought about it, he started crying again. Or he was about to cry.

His first decision was to leave it behind. If he'd just ignore it, Sakura would forget it to and move on with her life. She couldn't really love him. She couldn't really mean those words. She was just confused.

But she looked so sure. She looked like she was telling him the truth. She looked so beautiful.

He turned around, covering his eye with his arm. He had to stop remembering. He had to stop thinking about it. He had to stop feeling like this. He should've prevented this. He didn't know how, but he was sure he should've done it. He had to stop this.

But now it came to this, he knew he had to do something else.

Find an answer to her question.

_What is she to me? _

_I… don't know._

_

* * *

_

You can kill me now D. For so much things XD. For making Kakashi cry, for making Sakura cry after that, for taking so aaaaaaawfully long to get this chapter up. I'm really sorry about that. I just started with a story about Kaoru en Hikaru from Ouran High School Host Club and was giving all my attention to that. But now I'm waiting for someone's PM, so I thought that in the meanwhile time I should write this further before I forgot where I was going.

Okay, then, about the chapter: I like the way it ended! Yay! But I mean the ending in generally. I'm sorry for all those people who expected them to kiss and be happy, happy, love, love, but I just don't think that's realistic. Not in my story, in either case. But I didn't give an answer yet... so he might give her an postive answer back! Yay! Read my next chapter to see what's going to happen. Other then that... I know, Kakashi taking off his mask so easily is kind of weird, but hey, if it's just Sakura and they're alone, I think it's okay. Beside... I don't think he can eat with that mask on. Heheh, I know I didn't write anything that says they're eating, but please imagine they do.

Oh, why do I have to torture my favorite characters so much? It just isn't fair XD Hehe, I've got an awesome idea for a next KakaSaku story! But I swear I will finish this first. You know, I first didn't like Sakura that much, but she's is soooooooo awesome in Shippuuden and I think I'm starting to become a Sakura-fan! XD

Please, please review! I AM BEGGING YOU! XDD Just kiddin', just kiddin'

... But it **would **be nice if you did!

'till the next chapter!

Jazyrha-chaaaahaaaaan!


	4. Question

_**Those things about you.**_

**Chapter Four: Question**

He never thought about something as much as he thought about this.

She couldn't love him. It was impossible. He just couldn't believe it, even when she said she did. She was confused, she must've confused her feelings for love.

She was fourteen years younger, she was his former student. She was so innocent, while his hands were washed in blood. She was so naïve, believed in everything, while he even didn't believe himself. She was everything he was not, she was everything he couldn't believe a person could be.

But she was and he used to be happy she was.

He tried to forget, he tried to ignore, he tried to move on, but it just didn't work. It just refused to work. Every time again her words repeated in his mind. He couldn't move on, he couldn't forget her.

Maybe he really did love her back.

But then he shouldn't. Then he should turn his heart into stone once again and tell her he didn't love her back. It would be the best thing for both then. She would cry at first, like she always does, but then she would move on and she would get stronger, just like she always does. Whatever he was going to answer, she would be okay. She always would be. That was her magic, her incredibly power.

A power no one could break, not even a so called love.

She didn't think about all the problems a relation in such a manner would bring. It was wrong in the first place, just inappropriate, just sick, perverted, and all those things. It wasn't meant to be, it couldn't be. A relation like that was doomed to end. It would be full of heartaches, pain, tears and the most awful end they could imagine.

Kakashi couldn't love Sakura.

He would ruin her life. Right now, her destiny was in his hands. If he said he loved her, he would kill her, slowly, but surely. If he said he loved her, he would destroy her shining innocence.

"_I love you, Kakashi. I really do."_

Did she know? Did she think about it? Did she said that in an impulse, or did she think about it, over and over again?

He wished he knew. He wished he knew something, anything would do. He wished he knew the answer.

He couldn't ignore her for ever. He didn't want to hurt Sakura, no… he couldn't. If he hurt Sakura, he would kill himself.

It was time to decide. It was time to investigate his own feelings like they were someone else's and he couldn't understand. He had to know whether he loved or not.

* * *

It was summer and the sun shined down happily on those who walked through the streets. Laughter was heard everywhere and kids ran after their friends, still unaware of the pain this world could bring. Teenagers walked around with their friends, partying, enjoying life because they knew the pain this world could cause them.

And Kakashi walked all alone, because he was going through the pain the world could cause you. His hands were hidden in the pockets of his green pants, who reached just over his knees. It was too warm to wear his ninja vest, so he replaced it with a simple black T-shirt. Without really seeing where he was going, he just walked around. It was too hot to sit in his house and he hoped that walking around would take his mind off Sakura.

But it didn't. Nothing did. Not even his favourite book, Icha Icha Paradise, could get his attention of the repeating movie in his minds.

Her lips on his. Her smile after. Her words going with that smile.

He sighed. He wished she never did that… even when, even when it felt so good now he thought about it.

So… he did love her.

No, he didn't.

But all the 'signs' said he did.

He couldn't.

He wouldn't allow himself to love her.

The answer would be yes.

No, no, it would be no!

He sighed and focused his attention back on the streets. This was getting him nowhere. This would continue for ever without saying anything. This was so useless. He had to do something about it.

He should end it.

He should just go tell her he didn't love her, he just had to end this.

But how could he tell her he didn't love her if he didn't know? If he just didn't know what he was feeling?

It didn't really matter, he told himself. Even if he loved her, they couldn't be. Even if she loved him and he loved her back, no one would understand and no one would accept. He would kill her innocent heart.

She couldn't really love him, even when she said she does.

He slapped himself in his thoughts, focusing on the streets again. His eyes wandered through the streets, watching the people talk and walk by. Everyone seemed so happy. Yet another sigh escaped his lungs.

Maybe, if he just didn't start crying like a little child, it wouldn't have happened. Why did he do that, anyways? He still didn't get it. It just wasn't like him, it just wasn't like what he used to be.

But he couldn't help it. Maybe he cried back then for all the time he should've, but didn't. Maybe it was because Sakura was to be trusted, because she wouldn't laugh or take advantage of his vulnerable position. Showing no emotion was only his way of not getting hurt, but Sakura wouldn't hurt him. She just wouldn't.

She never did. She never laughed because he did something stupid, she never scolded him for being who he was. She was the only one who still smiled for his stupid excuses, instead of rolling her eyes and getting utterly annoyed by it. She was the only one who wanted to understand him, and not to change him. He was fine, he was really fine the way he was.

He didn't need to show that much emotion to enjoy his life. He didn't need to talk about things that happened to get over them. He didn't need to have as much friends as the rest of the world, because he just didn't care.

And she knew. She understood.

She, the only person in the world who did.

And he loved her for that.

_Love?_

He sighed. It just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that everything reminded him of Sakura. And it wasn't fair that Sakura reminded him of love.

And it was completely not fair that even if he loved Sakura, that even if she loved him, they could never be. He wasn't that sick, his mind wasn't that twisted.

But hers was, apparently.

And if sweet, innocent, naïve Sakura thought it could work, that why was he, sick, twisted, perverted Kakashi, fighting that much against that fact? It just didn't seem to make any sense. She was completely okay with it, if she thought about it.

He just couldn't read her mind anymore; he couldn't analyze her like he could with everyone else. She seemed so serious about it. But could she know, did she realise?

A student and a teacher, in such a relation.

_Even Icha Icha Paradise never had such a sick plotline._

He held his sigh back, thinking he had sighed enough for one day. It was enough, he went through this enough. He should just make his head up straight and tell her.

But tell her what?

He just didn't know. He just couldn't find an answer.

But he knew he had to find one soon… he couldn't leave her waiting forever. Sakura didn't deserve that.

* * *

She sighed and closed her eyes. She knew no one would notice anyway. Ino demanded everyone to come together and do something fun in this summer. Summer already… it was over a month and he still didn't answer her.

Why did she even hope? Why did she even want an answer back so badly? She knew he would tell her they couldn't be and just walk away. She knew he wouldn't care. She knew her heart would break and she would hate herself for years. She knew she just asked him to kill her when she told him.

"Ne, Ne, Sakura-chan, you look so spaced off?" a familiar, hyper active blonde remarked.

"Ah, gomen Naruto-kun…" she smiled. "Did you say something?"

"Nah, not really" he smiled. "I just thought you looked sad."

She laughed a little.

"Ne, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan" Kiba shouted, looking over his shoulder. "Hurry up or we're leaving you behind."

"Waah!! Matte! Matte!" Naruto instantly yelled and ran away.

Sakura just sighed. She couldn't believe she was here, acting like everything was alright. She couldn't believe she was really still waiting. She looked up and was ready to run after them, before Ino could drag her to the rest, as she saw a familiar person in the streets.

He was there. He was walking there. After months of being avoided and ignored, he stood there.

She felt her body freeze as she saw his reaction change when he saw her. She saw him hesitate, but then he walked right up to her.

"Hey" he said.

"Hey" she answered, feeling incredibly shy and awkward as she stared at the ground.

"You're alone?" he asked.

"Hm, no. Ino-chan told us to do something fun all together" she answered softly.

"Ah, soka, soka" he said back. "Then I won't hold you up any longer."

"Kakashi-sensei" she looked up. "D-Do you… thought about –"

"You know how much troubles will come from that, do you?" he simply interrupted.

She didn't know why, but for the first time in her life his unaffected eye and cold attitude hurt her. It made her feel like he didn't even care, like he was just looking at it matter-of-factly, like it was a problem that just needed to be taken care off.

"Yes" she smiled a little. "But if you love me back, than that's enough, right?"

"You're parents won't be happy" he said, ingnoring her question.

"If they really want me to be happy like they always said, then they will accept" she answered back.

"Accept? Is that what you want, that they just coldly accept?" he said, still without a single trace of feeling in his voice.

What was wrong with him?! If he just wanted her to say it was all just stupid and not true, he should just say so.

"Sakura-chan, I want you to carefully think over what you said, because I honestly don't believe you love me."

"Nani?!" she screamed as her eyes filled with tears.

How could he say that? How could he believe that?

"No, Sakura" he sighed, "I'm not saying you hate me or something, so don't make such a face. I'm only trying to say that you might confuse feelings of caring and liking for love. It's not the same, Sakura-chan."

"Don't tell me I'm just a stupid child who doesn't even know it when she loves someone?!" she yelled.

"Please lower your voice a little" he asked. "I wasn't implying that either."

"Then what are you trying to say?" she said, wiping her tears away.

"Are you sure, Sakura-chan? Are you sure you want me to love you, are you sure you want to love me? Because it's not going to be easy, and if it's just a thing that doesn't last one week, it's not worth the effort" he stated coldly.

"The effort?!" she screamed, tears filling her eyes again.

"No, no" he tried to explain better, "I didn't mean it to sound like that."

"It's okay…" she said as she smiled a little. "Was that your answer?"

"No, that was my question" he answered.

They stood there for a while, just looking at each other. The silence sounded louder then they ever imagined.

"Sakura-chan… could you wait a little longer? I promise that I'll give you the answer over two days, okay?"

"Okay" she answered and nodded.

"Wait for me in front of that cherry tree then, okay?" he smiled a little.

"Okay" she answered again.

"Sakuraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" it resounded. "What are you doing?!"

A blonde and obviously pissed girl ran toward Sakura, almost tackling her, but stopping just in time.

"Ah, hello, Kakashi-sensei" she said. "Talking with Sakura?"

"Uh, no, not really. We were just done" he smiled at her, "Make sure she has a lot of fun today, okay?"

"No problem" Ino assured him.

"Well, then, I'm going" he said and without any further words he walked away from them.

Sakura's eyes followed him walking him away. She felt a hand grabbing her wrist.

"Now, let's follow his orders, Sakura-chan!" she heard Ino laughing before she dragged her into the nearest pub she could find.

* * *

He wanted to drop dead where he stood, to run instead of walk, to scream and completely lose control, but he couldn't. He just walked calmly down the streets, trying to get his racing heart under control. After a month avoiding her, he finally ran into her again.

He couldn't just back down and take another way, like he didn't see her, that would've been childish and stupid. He just hoped no one was actually listening to her yelled words, because, really, that would be embarrassing beyond words.

He was really thankful for Ino to free them out that horrible awkward situation and giving him an excuse to leave.

But now, as he focused on the real problem, he promised her he would answer her in two days. He told her to wait for him. He sighed. He still didn't have a clue what he was feeling. But she said it was alright. She said she would wait and that she was okay with it. She said that she thought about the problems, she said that she couldn't care.

But how could a girl like her comprehend?

But then again, how could he?

Maybe he should think the same. Maybe he shouldn't care either. Maybe he should just… love her.

He walked home, opening the door and walking inside. He sighed as he looked at the couch and he could remember him and Sakura sitting there, talking about nothing important, talking until Sakura cried, talking until Sakura laughed, talking until they were both so tired they couldn't open their mouth anymore. Sitting there, eating cookies, eating chocolate, eating all those sweet things Kakashi didn't really like, but started to eat because Sakura did. Sitting there and playing boring card games, because Sakura loved playing there.

He could remember everything. And he couldn't help himself but smile for every single memory he had of her.

"_I love you, Kakashi. I really do."_

Well, maybe he loved her too. Maybe he just loved her all along.

He sighed. She was willing to take the risk, she was willing to love him no matter what. Then why did he still feel like he couldn't love her because he would ruin her life. Then why was it that he just couldn't think of himself kissing such innocent lips. She wasn't a girl anymore, she wasn't the Sakura he used to teach anymore.

"_I've become a woman who wanted to spend the rest of her life with you."_

She wasn't lying. She wasn't confused. She knew. She knew exactly how she felt and told him so. She was honest and straightforward. Why couldn't he be then? Why was it so hard.

He sighed, yet again. He just didn't understand. He really didn't. He never got why feelings and social interactions had to be so difficult to understand, so he just thought that it would've been easier to keep him for getting into such problems. He never got those people who looked so painful and hurtful just because they were in love or they were confused. It all looked so stupid and pathetic to him back then.

But now he was there, in such a situation and he was probably a lot more confused and hurt then those pathetic boys were back then.

He couldn't run for ever, he couldn't avoid her for ever. She didn't deserve that either. She never hurt him; she never did anything to make him hate her… she just fell in love with him. It would be wrong to punish her for that, when he should be honoured a girl like Sakura fell in love with him, him for all people. He, who always was so cold, he who always told her she wasn't good enough, that she accomplished a lot, but should accomplish more. He only said those things because he wanted the best for her, but still, he said it and now he thought about it, it must've hurt. But she never complained, she never said something back. She just sighed and laughed that never was good enough.

He just wanted her to be happy. That was clear. That was simple.

He just wanted her to look at her life with those bright, green eyes and that wonderful smile. He just wanted her to be happy and to live.

He just wanted that she never went through the pain he did.

He just wanted to dry her tears and make her alive. He just wanted that she didn't regret anything, that she accomplished everything she could, that she kept being that wonderful girl she was.

These things… Wasn't that what someone who loved wanted?

These thought… Wasn't that what someone in love would think?

He grinned.

Maybe he found his answer. Maybe he did all along, but was just afraid for admitting he did.

He sat down in his cough. He closed his eyes and remembered her smile. But this time he wasn't trying to stop himself.

_Why?_

He just let the feeling float over him, taking over his mind, taking over his heart, taking over his body. He just let himself disappear into the world of sinful love. He just thought about Sakura, about her smile, about her rosette locks, about her golden smile, about the way she was always there. Sakura was always there. Always there for him with the words he needed to hear. She was always smiling, always kind. No one in this whole world could break Sakura, and he wouldn't allow anyone to try. He would protect her, for eternity.

He only wanted the best for her. He only wanted her to smile. To smile for him. To live for him. He wanted to be selfish for a little and he wanted her green eyes to look at him, only him.

He wanted, while he knew he couldn't.

_I think… I know this time._

A smile crossed his face and he nodded to himself.

The answer was. The answer was so obvious he laughed at himself for being so stupid not to know.

_Yes. I know for sure._

His smile widened even more and he didn't remember feeling so happy before.

It was gone, all the sadness, all the confusion, all the pain, all the heartaches. It was all gone and replaced by that one, warm, determinate feeling. That one feeling Sakura made him feel.

It was just one of those things about Sakura.

* * *

You know... I'm seriously thinking I should change the Title XD But I really don't know what else it should be. Ah well, I'll let it be, it's a little too late to change now, isn't it?

Okay, about this chapter then: Well, this was one of the hardest chapter to write because there isn't happening anything in it XD But, oh well. I tried to make it a little bit unclear what his answer is going to be - even when it's completely obvious because this is as KAKASAKU story XD-

Not more to say! XD

Please review?!

(Oh yeah, the next chapter is the last! XD)


	5. Answer

_**Those things about you.**_

**Chapter Five: Answer.**

She stood there for about an hour. Just standing, just waiting, for a person that might not show up. Kakashi was always late, she knew, but this was annoying.

She didn't want to wait anymore. She wanted to know. Sakura was sick and tired of waiting for an answer she already know.

'No. I can't love you.'

What was she thinking anyway? She even didn't know why she was still waiting, standing here in front of the large cherry tree, the branches throwing dancing shadows on her face. She wanted to run away, she wanted to cry and just give up. She didn't want to hear him reject her.

If he loved her, he would've already told her. If he loved her, he wouldn't take so long to realise it. If he loved her…

No, he didn't. She knew, she knew so well it hurt.

He was going to lay his hand on her pink hair, like he always did when people where hurt or he was going to say something that might hurt their feeling. Then he would give her that sad smile he gave Naruto so many times when he told him he couldn't reach anything and he should just let it go. Then he would sigh, trying to find the right words to hurt her feelings as less as possible. Kakashi was a kind person. Kakashi knew about feelings, even if he always pretended like he could control them all. He knew people, he could analyze all their weak points. He would stare at her, while her eyes filled of tears. And then he would whisper her name, sigh again, and reject her.

And then she'd cry, she'd be dead. She'd die, she'd be rejected again.

It hurt and she didn't know why she wanted to know that badly.

Maybe it was because that little flame, that little sparkle of hope, that voice in the back in her head telling her that he didn't answer. He didn't say 'yes' but he never said 'no' either. And she just wanted to hear it, even if she knew she was going to regret it. Because if there was even the slightest, tiniest change that he might say that he loved her back, she was willing to take it.

She just wanted to be loved. She just wanted to be loved by him.

Shadows danced on her face, as her hand ran through her bright, pink hair. She sighed and leaned against the tree trunk. She was tired of waiting, but she knew he would eventually show up. He always showed up, he was always there. And for some things he never was too late. For some things he was there before anyone else was. If he really cared, or if he believed that his presence was absolutely necessary, he'd show up in time.

But now she waited. She closed her eyes, thinking about the moment she finally found the courage to tell him what she felt. She hated herself at first for doing so, but she had to tell him at some point. Love can't be hidden forever. It would've killed her even more then when he'd say that he doesn't love her back.

Even if he did, it would be okay. She was sure everything would be okay eventually. She would survive… or so she hoped.

"Hey" she heard someone saying.

She opened one eye, looking at the tall man standing before her. She smiled a little.

"Hey" she answered back, trying to sound as calm as she could.

"Ah, I'm sorry for being late" he apologized.

It all seemed incredibly awkward. It all seemed so incredibly wrong. They shouldn't be here. They shouldn't go against the world that much. It wasn't necessary, it shouldn't happen. She shouldn't look at him like she was doing.

But it couldn't be happened. It happened and Sakura didn't care about the world anymore. They didn't care if no one would understand, as long as he did, as long as she did, it was all okay. She could hear Ino yelling in disgust if she ever told her and she could see Sasuke's look of despise and indifference if he ever found out. She knew how Naruto would completely go crazy and act like he was going to die and she knew they'll all would whisper behind her back.

That is wasn't right, that it wouldn't last. That is was just disgusting, that it was just wrong.

But if it was, then love was wrong. Love couldn't be wrong, that's what the world thinks, isn't it?

Well, Sakura loved Kakashi. No matter what.

Kakashi looked at the little girl… no, young woman standing in front of him, her insecurity and doubts readable in her eyes. She shouldn't be here. She should find herself some rich guy of her own age and have a lot of kids. She shouldn't love him.

He lifted up his hand and laid it softly on top of her head.

Sakura's eyes immediately went to the ground. She couldn't help but to feel awful.

"Kakashi…" she whispered, no longer trying to sound calm, "did you think about it?"

"Hm, I did" he answered.

He sighed, searching the right words. He didn't knew how he was going to explain, how he was going to say this. He wasn't good with words, he never was. He just didn't get how people were able to express all their feelings into simple words. To him, it always seemed wrong, not enough, too less, to much. It didn't make sense, talking like that. He wish she knew without words, but he knew some things needed to be said.

I love you, was one of them.

"You know… even if we would love each other, no one will accept. I mean, everyone will gossip about us" he sighed.

It wasn't like **he** cared. He couldn't care less what people said about him behind his back. Half of it was probably true and the other half probably with an understandable reason. He wasn't a perfect person, pretty far from that, so he didn't care. He could say enough bad things about the persons who gossiped to most anyway.

He was just scared **she **cared. She would hate it that people said such things. She was too innocent to weapon her against the power of gossip. It would break her, for sure. It would kill her if her friends suddenly thought she was a sick, twisted person. Of course, they always told her that love was never wrong, but that didn't mean they would okay with it if she fell in love with her teacher.

People say a lot of things they actually don't mean. Love can be wrong, for sure. Sometimes it should just be ignored. Sometimes you should just forget it and move on. Everything could be wrong, and so did love.

"I know" she answered. "But I don't care."

"Sakura-chan…" he sighed. "You know what you're asking, right?"

"I'm asking you to accept my love."

He sighed.

"I… I…" he didn't want to say it… he couldn't.

She looked up and her eyes widened a little as she saw the sad smile on his face. She clenched her hands to fists and swallowed.

He was going to reject her. He was going to say no.

"It's wrong" he said.

Tears filled her eyes.

"No, it's not. Love is never wrong" she answered, trying not to cry.

Love couldn't be wrong. Love was right, love was what everyone was searching for.

"Is that your answer?" she said.

"No…" he said. "That was just a statement."

He kept silent for a while.

"Sakura-chan… We… you and me…" he looked to the ground, searching for the right words.

"I'm really bad with words" he explained.

"I don't care" she said. "I'll wait for ever if that's how long it's going to take me to say that..."

"Sakura… I…" he sighed again. "What I'm trying to say is."

"Kakashi" she said firmly. "I love you."

"You already said that" he answered.

"No, please hear me out" she said.

She took a deep breath, whipped her tears away and looked him in the eye.

"I love you. I love you no matter what. I know it's wrong, I know you're fourteen years older. I know no one will ever understand. I know they will gossip. I know it won't be a fairy tale. But fairy tales don't have to go like they always do. I love you, and if you love me too that's enough. Then I just don't care if Ino-chan tells me that I'm sick, that Naruto-kun will stare at me like I just told him the sun is purple. I just don't care if everyone will think we're wrong, because I honestly believe we will be right. I don't want to be alone for ever. It hurts. Being alone hurts."

Kakashi stared at her. He kept silent while Sakura told him. Her words stumbled in his head, dancing, hopping around.

"They will understand eventually. They will know eventually. I believe that if we just love each other everything will be alright. If I'm with you, I just feel better. I just feel like I'm being myself. You're always there, you'll never leave me. It isn't that weird if you think about it anyway. You're the only one who never betrayed. Sasuke-kun left me for his stupid revenge. Naruto-kun is only busy with his own dream, surpassing everyone and leaving me all behind. And well, Ino-chan is just Ino. She's a good friend, but she isn't there like you were."

He couldn't believe she could talk that much. She was so good with words. She could tell what she was feeling and she could say those things without hesitation, without doubts.

"This isn't just a crush. I tried to get over it, too. I was afraid first, too. I couldn't believe I let it come to this. But if I think about, I'm sure it can be a good thing too. I'm not a little girl anymore. I know I love you. It isn't wrong. Should it be wrong just because you're older? That's stupid, isn't it? People would die for love, people would kill for love, people would betray for love… and we can't be because we're not of the same age? That just doesn't make sense."

But her words did. To him, her words sure did. He didn't know she had thought that much about it, but her eyes stood so certain, and all the insecurity was gone. She was just telling him her thoughts, without being afraid, without hesitating.

"I love you, Kakashi. Just because of everything you are, and honestly, I just don't care about the rest of the world anymore."

She sighed and kept silent for a while.

"Thank you for hearing me out" she finally said.

His eye still stood unaffected, like nothing happened. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, how he was feeling. Even when she said those words so certain, doubt still consumed her. It wasn't because she thought about it that way, that he did too.

If somebody doesn't love you back, it isn't a crime. It just hurts. It just hurts like nothing you could ever imagine did.

"I'll always be late" he grinned.

"I don't care" she smiled. "I can live with that."

"I'll read those 'dirty' books like you call it" he said.

"I can survive that as well" she smiled. "Maybe I'll even read with you someday... If you let me, that is."

She didn't get what he was trying to do. She honestly didn't know why he was saying those things. She already knew, because those were things about him she couldn't change. She didn't want to change either. It was just those things about him, and after all, she fell in love with him, which concludes the dirty books, the lazy attitude, the cold stares.

"Well, then… If you are willing to live with those thing… if you are willing to live with me. If you're sure about that…" he smiled and he took a step closer.

He grabbed her hand, laying his hand in hers. He slowly spread her fingers, gazing at their hands, and laid his between. She looked at their hand, entwined in each other, holding tight.

It was such a simple thing. It was such a common thing. It didn't need any fancy words, it didn't need carefully thought trough actions, it didn't need any explanations to tell the meaning. In all it's magical simplicity, it told her more then his words could. Her grip tightened and her eyes filled with tears again, but not from fear. Magic danced around them, whispering words of love, words of tenderness in their listening ears. Leaves and branches danced along, as the wind played with her hair.

She looked up, staring at his face, at the messy, silver hair slowly moving in the wind. She looked at the black mask, at the one eye that gazed at their hands. She looked at him, without being afraid of being hurt.

She never stood so close to love, she never felt it dancing around her so gracefully. She smiled a little, she already knew what was his answer, but still, she wanted him to make it clear.

"Then I'll gladly be yours. For ever."

Her eyes widened as he pulled her in a tight, loving embrace, their hands still interlaced.

"I've never cared about wrong or right, because then I probably have to change too much things about myself and I'm too lazy to do that" he laughed.

Sakura pulled him even closer and laid her head on his chest.

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe he said that.

"Saku-chan… I… honestly… really…" he kept silent for a while, "love you. I really love you."

The world didn't matter anymore. Who cared about wrong or right if they could have love? Who cared about the lies and the gossip if they knew it wasn't true? It didn't matter, it didn't count.

The world faded and only they existed. It didn't matter what others thought. This wasn't wrong. Love couldn't be wrong. This magic, this sweet simplicity wasn't wrong. It was right, so very, very right.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot and not noticing any sooner" he whispered in her ear.

A smile crossed her face.

"But that doesn't matter, because you know now, don't you?" she answered, trying to hold back those tears that threatened to overflow.

"I know I love you" he said. "That's enough for now."

Reasoning would come later. For now, it was enough to hear those words, to hear them whispered back. It was enough to be so close to him, not being afraid of what might happen. It was enough to know. The world didn't matter. Only they did.

They crossed the fine line between friends and lovers, between wrong and right, between reality and magic. They crossed it and knew they could never go back. They didn't want to ever go back. Because who would turn away from the best thing in their life, just because they would come problems?

Problems would only prove their love. It was real and it wasn't wrong. It couldn't be wrong. It was too beautiful to be wrong.

Kakashi lifted up his other free hand.

"I think there's something else that still needs an answer…"

Sakura looked up and he slowly took off his mask. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer. Sakura only smiled and closed her eyes.

His lips touched her so magical she couldn't believe it was true. He pulled her closer and her hand ran trough his hair, her other still interlaced in his, like nothing could ever break it.

No, now they were together they wouldn't let anyone break it. This wasn't just a phase, this was for ever.

This time the kiss wasn't from one side, as she kissed back. She couldn't ask for anything more, she wouldn't dare to beg for anything else. Just his love, just his smile was enough.

Kakashi caressed the back of her head carefully, almost like she was breakable. Her soft kiss back made him happier then he ever thought he could've been.

_Why?_

He felt stupid for not knowing sooner, if it was all so obvious. All these times, it was just their love, slowly growing stronger, slowly begging to be released from its dark hideout. It was all so obvious, but it was okay now. She loved him, he loved her.

And that was enough.

_I think I know. _

Sakura slowly broke the kiss and smiled happily to Kakashi. This was what they both wanted.

This was their answer to all the questions the world could ever ask.

_I just fell in love with you._

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"Don't ever leave me" she begged.

"I won't. I'm not that stupid" he said.

_I just love you._

Sakura smiled again and Kakashi smiled back.

"Ne, can I ask a question? A stupid one?" Sakura asked, laughing.

"Only because it's you" he answered.

"Why me?"

Sakura's green eyes asked.

And for the first time he could answer without any doubt.

"It's just one of those things about you."

* * *

_Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!! GIVE ME A COOKIE, FLOWERS, A MEDAILLE OR SOMETHING! I... I just... just..._

_FINISHED MY STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_-calms down-_

_No really, that's amazing. I almost never end my stories. I start them and then at the last few chapters I just start a new one and forget about the other until I completely forgot what I was trying to do with the story. And then I start a new one, and a new one, and a new one. Waaaah! But, But I really finished this one! And I don't even think the end sucks completely! I kinda like it. You know, it gives my title a little more meaning. And really, writing a chapter with nothing more then a love confession is difficult. And I already smashed Kakashi completely out of character and I didn't want to do it again by giving Sakura a suuuuuuuuuuper long confession. One OOC-moment in each story is allowed, ne? XD _

_I hope you enjoyed my story. I hope you'll review and tell me what you think. Please read my other stories as well._

_I already have an awesome idea for a new KakaSaku story! If you don't want to miss it, put me on your author alert list! _

_Ah, well, I'm leaving now. School is starting again._

_I hope this story made you like KakaSaku more, or just gave you a good time reading it. Please tell me what you think. _

_ Jazyrha._


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